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Huckleberry Roasters, a two year old coffee favorite in RiNo, is just about to morph into Port Side, a casual cafe that will serve breakfast lunch and dinner. Panic not: Huckleberry is not being pushed out or replaced. Rather, owners Mark Mann and Koan Goedman are bringing in chef Chris Bell as a partner and relaunching their business under a new name with a food twist.
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"When we opened here two years ago, we just didn't have the capacity to do food," Goedman shared. "We were just as wrapped up in our flagship location and roastery on Pecos and simply could not plan a food component for this space. Now with Chris on board, it feels like a natural expansion."
A Tennessee native, Chris Bell moved to Colorado in 2002 and he worked in the kitchen and Cap Hill's farm to table Potager ever since. "It was time for a change and this is exciting," Bell said. "I have been fascinated by small kitchens before and now I get my own here in RiNo."
The menu at Port Side will be simple, ingredient-driven with a healthy slant. There will be three rotating breakfast sandwiches, one of which will feature pulled pork and one of which will be vegetarian at all times. Lunch will bring sandwiches and salads, plus perhaps some soups later on, and dinner will be centered around brats served with house pickles and mustards.
There may be meal-deals and grab-and-go items but all those details are getting ironed out as the concept gears up to launch sometime in May. Port Side is slated to get a liquor license in April. That will bring some six taps into the small space: two for beer, two for wine, and two for kegged cocktails.
Everything about the existing coffee menu remains as is and a Huckleberry logo will also stay put on the door, alongside signage announcing Port Side. The new name was chosen as a nod to the shipping containers that make up the complex in which the cafe resides at 2500 Larimer Street.
On Saturday, April 2, guests will be able to get a first taste of Port Side as Bell and his partners host a pop up that will bring two breakfast sandwiches to the menu. Similar weekend pop-ups will follow.